I recommend checking out the photo galleries, just for the sheer variety of costumes.
Here are a few I like:
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Down In The Underground...
Just found out this exists. An annual reenactment of Jareth's masquerade ball from Labyrinth? Count me in.
I recommend checking out the photo galleries, just for the sheer variety of costumes.
Here are a few I like:
I recommend checking out the photo galleries, just for the sheer variety of costumes.
Here are a few I like:
To Boldly Go...
The trailer for the second episode, "Integration", is now online. Hopefully the episode won't be far behind.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Something To Cry About
Apparently mobs are forming in Mexico. Their purpose?
To attack and beat up emo kids:
I really wish that clip had subtitles if for no other reason then to find out why the hell the Hare Krishnas show up.
I'm not a violent person, but I do very much hate the emo. This leaves me in a strange place, ethically speaking. My darker side finds the situation amusing. But I also don't feel emo culture is worth the validity that this kind of attack offers it. Already, I'm sure emo bands everywhere are rushing to their dimly lit bedrooms to write their Mex-emo anthems in support of the tender, vitamin C-deprived youth of Guadalajara. Well, not so much rushing as perhaps lurking, as those oh-so-tight pants don't afford much in the way of free motion.
The sad thing is that emo kids are such easy targets. I can't think of another youth culture movement that could invite such attacks. Try the same thing with fans of hip-hop or country music and you're likely to get return fire. Even the goths have their magic spells - or when those fail, their elaborate replicas of Lord Of The Rings weaponry - to defend themselves.
Emo kids, after all, are basically goths, only with bones too brittle to wield Anduril, sword of Aragorn, even if their lives depended on it.
Which, in Mexico, apparently they do. They do.
Boing Boing has more info about the whole thing.
To attack and beat up emo kids:
I really wish that clip had subtitles if for no other reason then to find out why the hell the Hare Krishnas show up.
I'm not a violent person, but I do very much hate the emo. This leaves me in a strange place, ethically speaking. My darker side finds the situation amusing. But I also don't feel emo culture is worth the validity that this kind of attack offers it. Already, I'm sure emo bands everywhere are rushing to their dimly lit bedrooms to write their Mex-emo anthems in support of the tender, vitamin C-deprived youth of Guadalajara. Well, not so much rushing as perhaps lurking, as those oh-so-tight pants don't afford much in the way of free motion.
The sad thing is that emo kids are such easy targets. I can't think of another youth culture movement that could invite such attacks. Try the same thing with fans of hip-hop or country music and you're likely to get return fire. Even the goths have their magic spells - or when those fail, their elaborate replicas of Lord Of The Rings weaponry - to defend themselves.
Emo kids, after all, are basically goths, only with bones too brittle to wield Anduril, sword of Aragorn, even if their lives depended on it.
Which, in Mexico, apparently they do. They do.
Boing Boing has more info about the whole thing.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Vacation
I'm off to Denver this morning, to visit my brother's family. I'll be back on Sunday. Among the things I'll be doing on my trip: going to the real live Casa Bonita.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Crossing The Line
I've been a fan of The Onion for a while now, and I've always supported their satirical attacks on deserving targets. But they've raised my ire with one of their latest articles, entitled "Wii Video Games Blamed For Rise In Effeminate Violence".
The Wii does not deserve this kind of unwarranted assault.
I hesitate to link to the offending article, but do so just so you can see how insipid it really is. Here.
Wii gamers are just as manly and capable of real violence as any other type of gamer, if not more so. Games like "Wii Sports" and "Wii Fit" actually making us more buff as we play! Can Playstation and Xbox make such claims? No, because they only have games like "Devil May Cry 4". A crying devil? Who's a sissy now, huh?
I have to go lie down. I think I have a touch of the vapors.
The Wii does not deserve this kind of unwarranted assault.
I hesitate to link to the offending article, but do so just so you can see how insipid it really is. Here.
Wii gamers are just as manly and capable of real violence as any other type of gamer, if not more so. Games like "Wii Sports" and "Wii Fit" actually making us more buff as we play! Can Playstation and Xbox make such claims? No, because they only have games like "Devil May Cry 4". A crying devil? Who's a sissy now, huh?
I have to go lie down. I think I have a touch of the vapors.
Spaced
One of my favorite television series of all time is a little British number called Spaced. You may not have scene it. There was a brief, lightly censored, run on late night BBC America. But otherwise it hasn't reached America except in the form of bootleg DVDs (a copy of which I acquired a couple years ago).
The stars would be familiar to you. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have garnered a lot of attention for their films, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Those movies, and the series, were co-created by the fantastic director Edgar Wright (see also: the brief comedy trailer, "Don't", during Grindhouse). The show's other noteworthy (and perhaps most significant) creator is Jessica Stevenson, who plays one of the main characters, Daisy Steiner. Daisy is my favorite female character in a series, ever.
The good news is that Spaced is finally getting an American DVD release this year. Hopefully it will contain all the extra bonus material, commentaries, etc., that are found on the British release.
The bad news (as I've just read on Ain't It Cool News) is that Fox is prepping the American remake of Spaced. I know some of you are huge fans of the American Office, so you may not see why this is such a big deal. Like The Office, Spaced is a near-perfect series that ran for two seasons. Any attempt to remake it would surely end in disaster. Unlike The Office, the original creators of Spaced (Pegg, Stevenson, Wright) have not been asked to participate in the remake's creation, in any way.
Perhaps the worst bit of news - the nail in the coffin - is that the remake is spearheaded by McG, a moderately talented director with absolutely no original vision. And perhaps worse than that, he is a grown man who chooses to go by the name McG.
Simon Pegg's thoughts on the remake:
"My main problem with the notion of a Spaced remake is the sheer lack of respect that Granada/ Wonderland/Warner Bros have displayed in respectively selling out and appropriating our ideas without even letting us know. A decision I can only presume was made as a way of avoiding having to give us any money, whilst at the same time using mine and Edgar's name in their press release, in order to trade on the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, even professing, as Peter Johnson did, to being a big fan of the show and it's creators."
Full statement.
And Jessica Stevenson's:
"It might make everyone feel better to know that I am planning a counter attack; A British re-make of 'Charlies Angels' called 'Charlies Angles' – about three female architects who love to design buildings make biscuits, and wear button up cardigans. That's gonna hurt you Mc.G huh?– a remake of one of YOUR films with no titties?? Huh??! HUH!!!"
Full statement.
AICN also linked to a review of the remake's pilot script.
Best case scenario: the show is crap, it tanks, and gets pulled off the air as quickly as possible.
Worst case scenario: American Spaced is a mediocre, mildly funny derivative, that manages to squeak out enough meager laughs to stay on the air for a full season, and perhaps subsequent seasons.
Also, I really wanted to be the one to remake Spaced. Being envious of McG is not something I'm comfortable with.
Here's a couple of my favorite sequences from season two of the original. Keep in mind these scenes don't actually play back to back during the episode. They've been edited together for YouTube.
The entire first episode can also be viewed here.
The stars would be familiar to you. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have garnered a lot of attention for their films, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Those movies, and the series, were co-created by the fantastic director Edgar Wright (see also: the brief comedy trailer, "Don't", during Grindhouse). The show's other noteworthy (and perhaps most significant) creator is Jessica Stevenson, who plays one of the main characters, Daisy Steiner. Daisy is my favorite female character in a series, ever.
The good news is that Spaced is finally getting an American DVD release this year. Hopefully it will contain all the extra bonus material, commentaries, etc., that are found on the British release.
The bad news (as I've just read on Ain't It Cool News) is that Fox is prepping the American remake of Spaced. I know some of you are huge fans of the American Office, so you may not see why this is such a big deal. Like The Office, Spaced is a near-perfect series that ran for two seasons. Any attempt to remake it would surely end in disaster. Unlike The Office, the original creators of Spaced (Pegg, Stevenson, Wright) have not been asked to participate in the remake's creation, in any way.
Perhaps the worst bit of news - the nail in the coffin - is that the remake is spearheaded by McG, a moderately talented director with absolutely no original vision. And perhaps worse than that, he is a grown man who chooses to go by the name McG.
Simon Pegg's thoughts on the remake:
"My main problem with the notion of a Spaced remake is the sheer lack of respect that Granada/ Wonderland/Warner Bros have displayed in respectively selling out and appropriating our ideas without even letting us know. A decision I can only presume was made as a way of avoiding having to give us any money, whilst at the same time using mine and Edgar's name in their press release, in order to trade on the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, even professing, as Peter Johnson did, to being a big fan of the show and it's creators."
Full statement.
And Jessica Stevenson's:
"It might make everyone feel better to know that I am planning a counter attack; A British re-make of 'Charlies Angels' called 'Charlies Angles' – about three female architects who love to design buildings make biscuits, and wear button up cardigans. That's gonna hurt you Mc.G huh?– a remake of one of YOUR films with no titties?? Huh??! HUH!!!"
Full statement.
AICN also linked to a review of the remake's pilot script.
Best case scenario: the show is crap, it tanks, and gets pulled off the air as quickly as possible.
Worst case scenario: American Spaced is a mediocre, mildly funny derivative, that manages to squeak out enough meager laughs to stay on the air for a full season, and perhaps subsequent seasons.
Also, I really wanted to be the one to remake Spaced. Being envious of McG is not something I'm comfortable with.
Here's a couple of my favorite sequences from season two of the original. Keep in mind these scenes don't actually play back to back during the episode. They've been edited together for YouTube.
The entire first episode can also be viewed here.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
To Boldly Go...
This past Sunday's News Sentinel ran a brief article about Star Trek: The Continuing Mission.
The second episode is, sadly, about two months behind schedule and I'm still not sure when it will be completed. It's an unfortunate delay, because it is a far superior episode than the first one. It raises the bar significantly for future episodes.
Also, I got to play a Klingon in one scene, which was a lot of fun.
I'll let you know when it's finally released.
The second episode is, sadly, about two months behind schedule and I'm still not sure when it will be completed. It's an unfortunate delay, because it is a far superior episode than the first one. It raises the bar significantly for future episodes.
Also, I got to play a Klingon in one scene, which was a lot of fun.
I'll let you know when it's finally released.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
First Performance With KCS
This past Saturday I was woken up at 9:30 in the morning to receive the news that Barnie's is closed and I no longer have a job.
But the day wasn't all bad. That evening was my first performance with the Knoxville Choral Society. It went very well, and I had an incredibly good time with it.
There was a glowing review of the concert in the News Sentinel, which you can read here.
But the day wasn't all bad. That evening was my first performance with the Knoxville Choral Society. It went very well, and I had an incredibly good time with it.
There was a glowing review of the concert in the News Sentinel, which you can read here.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
How Are Serial Killers Made?
Warning: This video is now rated NJ for extreme sadness and heart-breaky-feelings.
When this child opens his Christmas present, an Xbox 360 box filled with clothes, you can actually see his soul fade away before your very eyes.
I can't help but think this would be a great origin scene for a new Batman villain.
When this child opens his Christmas present, an Xbox 360 box filled with clothes, you can actually see his soul fade away before your very eyes.
I can't help but think this would be a great origin scene for a new Batman villain.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
First And Ten
1. Eels - "What Is This Note?" from Souljacker
2. Meat Loaf - "Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back (Ty Cobb edit)" from Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell (Special Edition)
3. The Presidents Of The United States Of America - "Munky River (Low Drum Piano)" from Munky River
4. Michael Bublé - "Quando, Quando, Quando (feat. Nelly Furtado)" from It's Time
5. St. Vincent - "Landmines" from Marry Me
6. The Aquabats - "Look At Me (I'm A Winner)!" from Charge!!
7. Björk - "I Miss You" from Post
8. Soundgarden - "Like Suicide" from Superunknown
9. Joe Satriani - "Ride" from Flying In A Blue Dream
10. Nellie McKay - "Galleon" from Obligatory Villagers
2. Meat Loaf - "Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back (Ty Cobb edit)" from Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell (Special Edition)
3. The Presidents Of The United States Of America - "Munky River (Low Drum Piano)" from Munky River
4. Michael Bublé - "Quando, Quando, Quando (feat. Nelly Furtado)" from It's Time
5. St. Vincent - "Landmines" from Marry Me
6. The Aquabats - "Look At Me (I'm A Winner)!" from Charge!!
7. Björk - "I Miss You" from Post
8. Soundgarden - "Like Suicide" from Superunknown
9. Joe Satriani - "Ride" from Flying In A Blue Dream
10. Nellie McKay - "Galleon" from Obligatory Villagers
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